Recently, I heard a Christian friend say (something like): "People were allowed to avenge the deaths of their relatives under Biblical law." Is this statement true, or is it an example of Christian ignorance of Biblical law?

A related statement that I have often heard Christians make is something like the following:

Here is a list of questions which I recommend you print out and ask the leadership of any church with which you come into contact. Each of these questions will help you understand the worldview of that church. Any church which refuses to answer any of these questions should be considered a poor ambassador for Christ.

Do you excommunicate in accordance with Matt.18 and 1 Cor. 6? If so, when was the last time you did so, and for what reason?

What is your definition of Christian marriage? Where do you get this from scripture?

Do you believe that civil government should license marriage (i.e. require permission from the civil government before establishing a legal marriage)? If so, can you justify this from scripture? If so, who licensed the marriage of Joseph and Mary?

When a husband and wife disagree on a decision, where neither course of action is a sin, who has the final authority in deciding what the family will do? The husband, the wife, or neither one? Can you justify your answer from scripture?

What are the legitimate reasons for divorce, according to scripture?

What does the scripture say is the just penalty for murder, if it is proven in court by at least two witnesses?

What does the scripture say is the just penalty for adultery, if it is proven in court by at least two witnesses?

When is the last time your church taught about just civil government penalties? Can I find a link to that sermon on your website?

What do you think Jesus meant by Matt.5:17-19?

Do you believe that a church choosing to go into debt sets a good example for the people who attend that church? Is your church in debt?

Almost every culture believes that murder is wrong. But modern civil governments have different laws specifying what to do when an act of murder is proven. How do these compare with Biblical law?

I'll start with a definition:

Murder is "the intentional, unlawful killing of an innocent human being."

Notice that this definition of murder uses the word "unlawful". This means that there are "lawful" types of intentional killing. Biblical law allows, for example, killing in self-defense and defense of others (Exod.22:2, Num. 35:11, Neh. 4:13-14). It also allows for killing in war (Deut. 23:9), which is (ethically) the same as self-defense/defense of others (as long as the war in question is actually a defensive war -- many wars are not). According to Biblical law, these types of intentional killing are not "unlawful," therefore they cannot be labeled "murder," and they cannot be punished (justly) by civil government.

He was preaching from 2 Cor. 3, the chapter where Paul talks about how the New Covenant has a "greater glory" than the Mosaic Covenant (2 Cor. 3:10). Paul also says that the Mosaic Covenant is "being abolished" (Greek: καταργούμενον, 2 Cor. 3:11). Unfortunately, the sermon speaker had read Paul's words from verse 7 -- where he talks about "the ministration of death engraved on stones" -- and made the following "logical" connection:

The "ministration of death engraved on stones" is the Ten Commandments. (A = B)

The "ministration of death engraved on stones" is the Mosaic Covenant. (A = C)

The Mosaic covenant was "being abolished" in Paul's time (presumably because Paul was writing prior to the destruction of the Second temple in A.D. 70), and it is now gone. (C is now abolished)

Therefore, the Ten Commandments are irrelevant. (B is now abolished and irrelevant)

A big problem among Christians today is the distortion of Jesus' message. Christian teachers and preachers spread a lot of misinformation (pastorisms, if you want to use a mild word). The average Christian doesn't know enough about their own king to correct the falsehoods being spread. We are trying, through this site, to encourage you to represent him accurately. The more you understand Jesus' own value system, the better your decision-making will be, and the better you will be as a Kingdom ambassador and an example.

Have you ever hear any of the following phrases:

"Jesus says 'Judge not...'"

"Who am I to judge?"

"Who are you to judge?"

"Are you the sinless one who will cast the first stone?" (referring to the passage in John 8 about the adulterous woman)

Now most of the time when you hear these phrases, it wasn't because you were literally stooping to pick up a stone. Usually, the people who make these statements are trying to silence an uncomfortable truth. They have ears, but they don't want to hear. "Stoning" is their preferred metaphor for speaking "judgmental words." Well, since none of us are "sinless," I guess that means that Jesus wants us to say nothing, right?

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